Rail-joint.



A. R. MARTIN.

RAILJOINT. APPLICATION FILM) NOV- 24, I917.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918,

U ITED STA PATENT oFFIo.

ALVIE R. MARTIN, OESTONEFORT, ILLINOIS, ASISIGNOR or one- AL T0 J., v.

TRAMMELL, or STONEFORT, ILLINoIst RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent 1 a,13e; 113( 3( 1 Sept. 17,

Application fi1ed November 24, 1917. Serial No. 203,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIE R. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stonefort, in the county of Williamson and State of Illinois, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved rail joint and has as its primary object to provide a construction wherein the coacting rail ends w1ll be connected in such manner that one rail must be axially rotated eccentrically with respect to the other rail before the rail each other.

ends maybecome disengaged and thus providing an effective lock for the rail ends.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein one rail must be axially rotated in a direction upwardly and inwardly with respect to the other rail in order to disengage the rail ends so that the weight of the first rail mentioned will normally act to hold the rail ends securely locked together and so that theweight of rolling stock upon the rails will tend to bind the rail ends in locked engagement with A further object of the invention is to I provide a combined chair and locking plate at the rail ends for preventing axial rotation of one rail with respect to the other and thus securely locking the rails together.

The invention has as a still further object to provide a'lock between the rail ends of such nature that relative vertical movement of the ends of the rails will be eliminated.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide an arrangement wherein the rails may, whendesired, be easily and quickly disengaged.

Other and incidental'objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings wherein I have illustratedthe preferred embodlment of the lnventlon and wherein slmllar reference characters 'deslgnate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews: I Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing successive rails formed with my improved joint and illustrating the manner in which the said rails are connected,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view show-f ing the locking tongue of the joint in cross section,

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view particularly illustrating the manner in which. the

' coacting ends of the rails are formed to provide the joint, this Y view illustrating the locking tongue'and the socket of the joint in detail, and

ings, a railway railv is indicated at 10. A second rail is indicated at 11. Each of these rails includes the usual base flange,'web' and tread. At its adjacent extremity, the web 'of the rail 10 is formed with athickened portion 12 and projecting longitudinally from the adjacent end of the rail is a look ing tongue 13. This locking tongue 'is, as

particularly'shown'in Fig. 2, substantially T-shape in cross section and thus includesa -web 14 and a head 15 providing flanges or shoulders 16 at opposite sid'esof the web. The locking tongue 13 is transversely curved in Fig. 3, extends'from' the bottom 'of the base flange of the rail across the adjacent end thereof to one side of the enlarged portion 12 of therail, the upper side of the said tongue being spaced below the tread of the rail. The locking tongue is thus disposed eccentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rail and, of course, the bottom longitudinal edge ofthe said tongue is disposed flush with the bottomface of the base fiange of the rail while the upper longitudinal' edge of the said tongue is disposed flush with the face of the enlarged portion" 12 of the rail, at the adjacent side thereof. The webof'the rail 11 is, at its adjacent extremity, provided with an enlargedportion. 17 and formed in the said portion or, the rail'to open through' the adjaoent'end thereof is a socket 18 substantially T-shape in cross section to receive the locking tongue 18- of the rail 10. The socket 18 is thus I formed at its inner extremity with itch-annel 19 to accommodate the head 15 of the said tongue. Extending'fro'm this channel is a reduced throat 20 toaccommodate the web 14; of the locking tongue and defining, at the junction of the throat with the channel, shoulders 21 to coact with the lateral shoulders 16 of the head 15' of the tongue.

As particularly shown in Figs. 3 and 4c, the

socket 18 is of arcuate form or is transversely curved to conform to the curvature of the locking tongue. At its lower longi= into arcuate form and,as particularly shown tudinal extremity, the said socket opens through the base flange of the rail while the upperlongitudinal extremity of the said socket opens through theenlarged portion 17 of the rail at the adjacent side thereof and at a point below the tread of the rail. This socket is thus also disposed eccentrically' with respect to thelongitudinal axisof the rail.

Mounted to cooperate with the rails 10 and 11 at the coacting ends thereofis a combined chair and locking plate 22 which is arranged to extend transversely beneath the rail ends at the joint therebetween for rigidly supporting the ends of the rails upon a tie. Formed on the said plateto engage over opposite corresponding margins of the base flanges of the rails are looking flanges 23. The plate 22 maybe secured in position for supporting the rail ends by ordinary railway spikes or in any .other approved manner.

As will now be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the rail 10 is connected with the rail 11 by positioning the lOWer longitudinal edge of the looking tongue 13 in the outer longitudinal end of the socket 18 and then axially rotating the rail 10 eccentrically with respect to the rail 11 to ride the locking tongue into the said socket. In this connection, it will, of course, be understood that the end of the rail 10 opposite to that equipped with the tongue 18 is provided with one of the sockets 18 while the succeeding rail is formed at its adjacent end with oneof the locking tongues. Accordingly, in Fig. 1, I have for convenience shown such succeeding rail at 24' and have indicated the parts of the joint between the said rail and the rail 10 by the same reference numerals employed in describing the connection betweenv the rails 10 and 11. The rails may thus be easily and quickly connected and attention is now directed to thefact that, as will be understood upon an inspection of Fig. 4, the rail 10 will normally gravitate to ride the locking tongue 13' through the socket 18. Accordingly, the weight of the rail 10 will normally act to hold the rail ends locked together. After the rail 10 has been axially V rotated, as previously indicated, to connect the rails, the plate 22 is moved into position beneath the rail ends when the flanges 23 of the said plate will engage with the flanges of the rail 10 to prevent retrograde axial rotation of the said rail and consequently lock the rails together. WVhen solocked together, the head 15 of the locking tongue 7 is, as shown in detail in Fig. 2,loosely re ceived Within the channel 19 of the socket 18 while the web 14 of the said tongue freely fits through the throat 20 of the said socket rail 11 in order to disconnect the rails. The possibility of accidental disengagement of the rail ends is thus reduced to a minimum.

Furthermore, it will be seen that the weight of rolling stock upon the rails will tend to bind the rail ends into more secure engagement with each other so that any tendency toward spreading of the railswill be materially counteracted, while vertical movement of one rail end with respect to the other will be practically eliminated.

It will therefore be seen that I provide a particularly simple and efii'cient construction for the purpose set forth anda joint which will form the rails intopractically a solid unit. At the same time, the rails may, however, when desired, be easily disconnected. I Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A rail joint including coacting rail ends one formed with an arcuate downwardly directed socket opening through one side of the said rail end, and an arcuate locking tongue projecting longitudinally from the other rail end for engagement in said socket.

2. A rail joint including coacting railends one formed with an arcuate socket opening throughthe bottom .face and one side face of the said rail end, and an arcuate locking tongue projecting longitudinally from the other rail end and adapted to slidably engage in said socket. V

3. A rail joint including coacting rail'ends one formed with an arcuate socket substantiallyT-shape incross section,.and an arcuate locking tongue projecting longitudinally from the other rail end and substantially T- shape. in cross section to engage within said socket. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALVIE R. MARTIN. [L.: s.]

' Copies of thiapatent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

